Welcome! Click Here If You Are New To My Blog

First off let me welcome you to my blog. My name is Aaron Likens and I am the Autism Ambassador for Life Skills: TouchPoint Autism Services based in Saint Louis, Missouri ). What makes my blog relevant? Growing up my parents always heard the same thing from my teachers, "Aaron doesn't socialize or associate that well with his peers." It wasn't until I was 20 years old that I got the real reason behind this; Asperger Syndrome. I went into a deep depression because the first web-page I came across said that, "People on the autism spectrum will never have a job, will never have friends, and will never be happy." I believed that, and it wasn't until I discovered writing 15 months later that I finally began to accept who I was and discovered it wasn't so bad. Now, I wouldn't change one thing about myself.

I have been blogging since March 2010 and have enjoyed every minute of it. If you are new, my blog could be a bit confusing as, depending on when you first read it, you may be picking something up in the middle of a story.

I usually blog every weekday and will do weekends when events warrant it. Most of the time my posts are self contained without a story arc, but I have had some interesting events. To make it easier for you to find I will give you the quick links to some of the better posts. Also, be sure to read my stand alone page "Glossary of Life On The Other Side of the Wall" to quickly understand the concepts you may read about.

I ran a sunglasses experiment for almost a month and the first post an be read HERE

I spoke alongside Temple Grandin at the 2010 USAAA conference and that story can be read HERE.

One thing you should know about the Autism spectrum is that each of us can be radically unique. I say that, "If you've met one person with autism you've only met one person with autism." This is also a disclaimer because what I say may be the complete opposite of another person. More can be read HERE.

Finally, I don't think I have ever had a bad post. If you have the time, reading my blog from first post to present should be a great learning experience and insight into what life on the other side of the wall is like. Whether you are new, or are reading this as a long time follower, I hope you read what I have done in the past and I look forward to providing more useful information and stories from my life in the future. Enjoy!

Updated 7/24/13: I'm closing in on 900 posts and it is hard to keept up with so many posts. Someday I might make a "best of" section, but right now you're on your own on finding the gems within these posts.

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Finding Kansas Revisited

To mark 10 years since I started writing my book I did a blog series with my thoughts from today on what I wrote then. This was the first time I ever read anything I had ever written.

The Sunglasses Experiment

I ran a sunglasses experiment to judge why eye contact is so difficult. I wore them for about 15 days, then I switched back to my normal glasses to see how big of a difference there was. By clicking my picture you can be taken to the page that has the complete experiement all in one place.